Improvement in buttons



iUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY GERNER, OF NEVVYORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,92`7,'dated November14, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, HENRY GERNER, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have iuvented a new and useful Improvement in Button-Fastenings;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of thenature, construction, and operation ofthe same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made partotl this specification, and in which- Figure l is a central section ofinyimproved button. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the button with theinner disk removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the said inner disk.Fig. f1 is a side view of the button, showing a nlcdication in themethod of securing the detachable disk.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalgures.

My said invention relates to the class of buttons which areindividuallymadein detach able parts to admit of the application oi the buttonwithout sewing. The inost approved button of this character hithertodevised is composed of a shank, two disks, and an interposed spring ofrubber, the part of the gar- Inent to which the button is ordinarilysewed being firmly clasped between the rubber spring and one of thedisks, while the button-holets between the other disk and the clampedpor;v tion or" the garment above alluded to. The rubber spring is ttedupon the shank and extends longitudinally thereon, so thatthe edges ofthe button-hole are always in contact with the rubber spring when thegarment is buttoned. The friction to which the spring is subjected fromthe button-hole edges soon wears away the rubber to such an extent as tointerfere with its efcacy, and the button, as a whole, is worthless. Insuch buttons the contact of the rubber spring also soils the exterior ofthe garment.

The object of my invention is to produce a button having the advantagesof the one above cited, but adapted to obviate the objections named.

My improved button consists of a shank, two disks permanently fixedthereto, and a disk, which may be secured to or detached from the innerend of the disk at will. The buttonhole portion of the garment havingits place between the two fixed disks, while the portion to which the`button is generally sewed, is clamped byrubber washers or springsbetween the inner detachable disk and the central fixed disk, so thatthe button-hole portion is notexposed to contact with the rubber, nor isthe latter subjected to friction from the edges of the button-hole.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, tofully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the button or disk, which isseen from the outside when the button is applied. B is another disk,which, with thefirst, may be made in one piece with the shank D. C isthe inner disk by which the button is made fast to the garment.

To attach the button to the garment the shank is first inserted throughan aperture in the material, and then the inner disk is secured to theend of the shank, either by the small pivoted button c, shown in Figs. land 2, or by the key a', shown in Fig. 4. When the button a is employed,the disk C, in order to correspond therewith, has a slot, c, and groovec', which are at right angles to each other, and cross at the center ofthe disk. The slot c ,permits thebutton a, when turned parallel, to

be passed through the disk, and after this has been done the button a isturned parallel with the groove c', in which latter it hasa firm bearingand cannot turn, provided the disk C is pressed inward with sufficientforce to keep the button in the groove. This inward pressure on the diskis received from rubber washers or springs l), which encircle the shankDfiand occupy a position between the central xed disk, B, and theportion E oi' the garment this portion being that to which the button isgenerally sewed. rlhe number ot' these rubber washers are to be variedaccording to the thickness of the cloth or the distance asiinder of thedisks B and C.

If the key a be used to secure the detachable disk on the shank, theinner end of the latter has an aperture to receive the key after theshank has been inserted throu gh the cloth. The key a. has a centraldepression on its edge, and being pressed against by the disk C, it

cannot be accidentally displaced. The button hole engages over the outerdiskorybutton, A, and the material aroundits edges has its place betweenthe fixed disks A and B. Thus, it is manifest that while the fullbenefit of the rubber spring is obtained, the rubber is preserved frominjury by contact with the edges of the buttonhole and the spring doesnot come in Contact with the outer part of the garment.

The buttoning and unbuttoning of the garment, being similar to theordinary way of doing it, need not be described.

Io detach the button from the garment, it is only necessary to press thedisk G toward the disk B and then turn the button a ,or

withdraw the key a. to permit the disk C to tions may be resorted towithout departing `from the essential principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, the following` is what I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In buttons having a spring to force the detachable disk against itslocking device, the central fixed disk, B, constituting au abutment forthe spring and separating the latter from the button-hole portion ot'the garment, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the disks A B and shank D with the washers orsprings, b, and detachable disk G, the Whole being arranged and employedin the manner and for the purpose specied.

HENRY GERNER.

Vitnesses C. D. SMITH, JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM.

